Thursday, June 2, 2016

Plyometrics

Plyometric exercise refers to quick, powerful movements,
using both the natural elastic components of muscle and tendon, and the stretch
reflex. By integratingplyometrics
into your training program, you will enhance your ability to successfully
complete the obstacles in the Beast on the Bay. You will be jumping up and over
obstacles, which will then require you to safely land on the other side. In
order to safely perform these movements, you need to be adept with takeoffs and
landings in a training setting. So, I’ve put together a number of warm-up
drills and exercises that will address these skills. The following table
consists of examples of plyometric warm-up drills.

Drill

Explanation

Marching

Mimics running movements

Emphasizes posture and movement technique

Toe Jogging

Heel doesn’t touch ground

Straight-Leg Jogging

Minimize knee bending

Butt-Kickers

Allow heels to reach glutes

Skipping

Emphasis on quick takeoff and landing

Lunging

May be multidirectional (forward, back, side, diagonal)

Plyometric
Exercises for the Lower Body

Jumps in Place

Jumping and landing in the same spot without resting between jumps

Emphasis on vertical component

Standing Jumps

Emphasis on vertical and horizontal component

Maximal effort with rest between jumps

Multiple Hops and Jumps

Emphasis on horizontal component

May form a zigzag

Bounds

Multidirectional movement

May be single-leg or double-leg

Box Drills

Jumping on the box or stepping off and landing

May be single-leg, double-leg, or alternating legs

Depth Jumps

Emphasis on landing, then immediately jumping vertically,
horizontally, or onto another box

May be single-leg or double-leg

To
establish a plyometric training regimen, we have to address frequency,
recovery, volume, program length, and progression. Frequency refers to the
number of training sessions per week and can range from 1-3, with 48-72 hours
between sessions. Due to the nature of plyometrics requiring maximal effort to
improve anaerobic power, it is imperative to have adequate recovery between
repetitions and sets. For example, recovery for depth jumps may be 5-10 seconds
between repetitions and 2-3 minutes between sets. Work-to-rest ratios are a
great way to determine recovery time between sets. Ratios of 1:5 to 1:10 are
common for plyometric training. So, if the drill requires 30 seconds of work,
you should rest anywhere from 2 ½ -5 minutes until you perform another set. Training
volume refers to sets and repetitions per workout session and is expressed as
foot contacts on a surface, or distance covered.

Plyometric
Experience

Volume
in Contacts Per Session

Beginner (no experience)

80 – 100

Intermediate (some experience)

100 – 120

Advanced (considerable experience)

120 - 140

The
length of your plyometric program should range from 6-10 weeks, which gives you
plenty of time between now and the Beast on the Bay. Throughout your program,
you should be increasing training frequency, volume, and intensity by way of
progressive overload. As intensity increases, volume decreases. Reassess these
aspects of your program every 2-3 weeks, to ensure that you are improving
either the number of foot contacts, or distance covered per session. I know
that you will enhance your performance in the Beast on the Bay by employing the
drills and exercises I’ve listed. Please contact me with any questions.